Unkategorisiert #7

Last week, when a colleague and I headed out of the office, we walked past a Smart car, and I noticed that the key was left in the ignition. “Look – I said – this guy left his keys inside the car. Care to go for a ride?” We both did, but kept walking. And not because we couldn’t steal a car in the center of Berlin – I just didn’t have my license on me that day. Silly joking aside, it turned out that this was a car2go. Although I was familiar with the car sharing concept I had never heard of car2go. Coincidentally, the German company, a subsidiary of Daimler, just launched its service in Montreal with some 250 environmentally friendly cars. In fact, only in 2013, car2go appeared in 7 new cities, parking over 2100 of its small white-and-blue Smarts. The company charges an initial registration fee and is billing its customers per time of usage – $0.38/min.

As someone who drives in Montreal on a daily basis, there are only two things worse than January – looking for parking and trying to cross one of the St. Lawrence bridges during rush hour. Either way, both will cost you a lot of time and even more money. car2go seems to offer a potential solution here: all of their cars have a “residents-only” street parking permit, allowing you to park in the area even if you don’t live there. In addition, car2go has 6 designated parking lots in downtown Montreal, saving you the $20 per 12h of parking fee. And traffic is no longer an issue – you prefer staying at work for an extra hour, than being stuck in traffic for two? Neither. You no longer need to live by the lesser of two evil principle: take the bus and forget about the car.

Communauto’s Toyota Echo // Ville de Quebec

Despite the fact that Germans have a strong attachment to their cars (who wouldn’t with the cars they drive and the limitless autobahn) the concept of car sharing is a lot more popular in Germany, than it is in Canada. While the Montreal’s car sharing market offers mainly Communauto’s Toyota Echos and the occasional all-electric Nissan Leaf (and now car2go’s Smarts), Germans get to choose from cars like Mini Coopers, BMW 1 and X1 series, Fiat 500s, Volkswagen Golfs and more. Could this be a factor? Probably not, but still…Last week, when a colleague and I headed out of the office, we walked past a Smart car, and I noticed that the key was left in the ignition. “Look – I said – this guy left his keys inside the car. Care to go for a ride?” We both did, but kept walking. And not because we couldn’t steal a car in the center of Berlin – I just didn’t have my license on me that day. Silly joking aside, it turned out that this was a car2go. Although I was familiar with the car sharing concept I had never heard of car2go. Coincidentally, the German company, a subsidiary of Daimler, just launched its service in Montreal with some 250 environmentally friendly cars. In fact, only in 2013, car2go appeared in 7 new cities, parking over 2100 of its small white-and-blue Smarts. The company charges an initial registration fee and is billing its customers per time of usage – $0.38/min.

As someone who drives in Montreal on a daily basis, there are only two things worse than January – looking for parking and trying to cross one of the St. Lawrence bridges during rush hour. Either way, both will cost you a lot of time and even more money. car2go seems to offer a potential solution here: all of their cars have a “residents-only” street parking permit, allowing you to park in the area even if you don’t live there. In addition, car2go has 6 designated parking lots in downtown Montreal, saving you the $20 per 12h of parking fee. And traffic is no longer an issue – you prefer staying at work for an extra hour, than being stuck in traffic for two? Neither. You no longer need to live by the lesser of two evil principle: take the bus and forget about the car.

Despite the fact that Germans have a strong attachment to their cars (who wouldn’t with the cars they drive and the limitless autobahn) the concept of car sharing is a lot more popular in Germany, than it is in Canada. While the Montreal’s car sharing market offers mainly Communauto’s Toyota Echos and the occasional all-electric Nissan Leaf (and now car2go’s Smarts), Germans get to choose from cars like Mini Coopers, BMW 1 and X1 series, Fiat 500s, Volkswagen Golfs and more. Could this be a factor? Probably not, but still…

Das ist Alexander aus Montreal, Kanada. Für drei Monate arbeitet er in unseren PR- und Social Media Teams. Und teilt, was er über Kommunikation in Deutschland lernt. Per Blog, Facebook und Twitter. Like!Alexander, from Montreal, Canada, will be staying with us for three months. Follow him as he shares what he learns about communications in Germany, on our Blog, Facebook and Twitter. Like!

In case you have been wondering what does a great product launch website look like, here’s an example that comes quite close. Two years ago, the folks at FiftyTree, an innovative New York based tech company, launched the award-winning Paper app. And because Paper is only half of the essentials a true creative mind needs to jot down its thoughts, last week they launched the Pencil – a Bluetooth Low Energy stylus for tablets.

FiftyThree’s Paper finally found its Pencil // FiftyThree

There are indeed many aspects of their launch, which might account for its success. For example, the fact that their products bundle so well together, or their clear and simple names, which subconsciously play with our understanding of actual paper and pencil. Of course, there is also the appealing design, apparent quality and the innovative character of the actual product. In addition to all that, there is the website – simple and comprehensive. A glance is enough for you to know what it’s all about, just like the product’s name – a pencil. A video, a value proposition, and three main features highlighting the uniqueness of the Pencil, which immediately tie into the perfect balance of text and visual product-description. And all that on the same page, allowing me to quickly scroll up and down, without going back and forth between different pages and my broadband connection testing the extend of my patience. Having spared my extremely valuable time and energy by not making me try to figure out just what is it that the world of science has given birth to again, I am happy. FiftyThree are now my friends, they care. With just one more scroll I reach the bottom of the page and the promotional launch price of US$49.95 – an unexpected surprise. Am I ready to buy? You bet I am. In fact, so ready, that even though I have absolutely no use of a stylus, I have nevertheless already considered it. Now I am no expert, but it seems to me this is how you’d want to present a product.In case you have been wondering what does a great product launch website look like, here’s an example that comes quite close. Two years ago, the folks at FiftyTree, an innovative New York based tech company, launched the award-winning Paper app. And because Paper is only half of the essentials a true creative mind needs to jot down its thoughts, last week they launched the Pencil – a Bluetooth Low Energy stylus for tablets.

FiftyThree’s Paper finally found its Pencil // FiftyThree

There are indeed many aspects of their launch, which might account for its success. For example, the fact that their products bundle so well together, or their clear and simple names, which subconsciously play with our understanding of actual paper and pencil. Of course, there is also the appealing design, apparent quality and the innovative character of the actual product. In addition to all that, there is the website – simple and comprehensive. A glance is enough for you to know what it’s all about, just like the product’s name – a pencil. A video, a value proposition, and three main features highlighting the uniqueness of the Pencil, which immediately tie into the perfect balance of text and visual product-description. And all that on the same page, allowing me to quickly scroll up and down, without going back and forth between different pages and my broadband connection testing the extend of my patience. Having spared my extremely valuable time and energy by not making me try to figure out just what is it that the world of science has given birth to again, I am happy. FiftyThree are now my friends, they care. With just one more scroll I reach the bottom of the page and the promotional launch price of US$49.95 – an unexpected surprise. Am I ready to buy? You bet I am. In fact, so ready, that even though I have absolutely no use of a stylus, I have nevertheless already considered it. Now I am no expert, but it seems to me this is how you’d want to present a product.

The talks on free trade between the US and the EU are back on the table. Sure – a few months ago people were quite upset with the NSA and it really seemed like the States had shot themselves in the foot. Despite the scandal, negotiations are still going, with the second round of talks concluded last week in Brussels.

Corporations, industry representatives and politicians from both sides of the pond, have embraced the idea with passion, claiming that an 800 million-consumer market and a gigantic trading bloc with estimated gains of $159 billion, is essentially good news. Besides, what better way to confront China’s rapidly expanding economic growth? But the topic of establishing the “Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership” (TTIP), which was also Obama’s main focus during his first Berlin visit as US president last June, seems to be the apple of discord: consumer advocates, environmental, health and internet activists, all join forces in building a barricade of opposition to the treaty. The reason – concerns that the US will push for weakening European consumer regulations.

The talks of a US-EU free trade agreement resumed with last week’s second round of negotiations // AFP

Indeed, there is a world of difference between health, safety and environmental regulations in the US and the EU. While American consumers don’t particularly mind eating “honey” made out of genetically modified corn syrup and thickeners, their European cousins are less inclined to do so. And let’s not kid ourselves here, it is modified: 2012 reports indicate that 88% of corn, 93% of soybeans and 95% of beets grown in the USA come from genetically modified seeds. With controversial corporations, such as Monsanto, navigating the market, many wonder whose interest is the US Food and Drug Administration defending. Curious fact: Michael Taylor, a former Monsanto attorney, got appointed a deputy commissioner of the FDA. Enough said?

Are European consumers pretentiously cautious? I don’t think so. And yet, despite all that resistance, the European Union has already discarded previous restrictions on certain American meat imports, such as beef washed in lactic acid and poultry washed in chlorine. Yummy.

Corporations have long been aware of such differences between European and American consumers. Would a treaty of these proportions significantly blurry such distinctions? For one thing, if GM crops reach European soil, there is no going back: once the crops are contaminated, it will take tens of years for them to recover, claims Percy Schmeiser, former spokesperson for independent farmers’ rights and a veteran in a legal struggle against Monsanto. If a transatlantic trade agreement is to be reached, it is the US that should tighten its regulations, not Europe weaken theirs. Quite frankly, I am a bit skeptical.The talks on free trade between the US and the EU are back on the table. Sure – a few months ago people were quite upset with the NSA and it really seemed like the States had shot themselves in the foot. Despite the scandal, negotiations are still going, with the second round of talks concluded last week in Brussels.

Corporations, industry representatives and politicians from both sides of the pond, have embraced the idea with passion, claiming that an 800 million-consumer market and a gigantic trading bloc with estimated gains of $159 billion, is essentially good news. Besides, what better way to confront China’s rapidly expanding economic growth? But the topic of establishing the “Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership” (TTIP), which was also Obama’s main focus during his first Berlin visit as US president last June, seems to be the apple of discord: consumer advocates, environmental, health and internet activists, all join forces in building a barricade of opposition to the treaty. The reason – concerns that the US will push for weakening European consumer regulations.

Indeed, there is a world of difference between health, safety and environmental regulations in the US and the EU. While American consumers don’t particularly mind eating “honey” made out of genetically modified corn syrup and thickeners, their European cousins are less inclined to do so. And let’s not kid ourselves here, it is modified: 2012 reports indicate that 88% of corn, 93% of soybeans and 95% of beets grown in the USA come from genetically modified seeds. With controversial corporations, such as Monsanto, navigating the market, many wonder whose interest is the US Food and Drug Administration defending. Curious fact: Michael Taylor, a former Monsanto attorney, got appointed a deputy commissioner of the FDA. Enough said?

Are European consumers pretentiously cautious? I don’t think so. And yet, despite all that resistance, the European Union has already discarded previous restrictions on certain American meat imports, such as beef washed in lactic acid and poultry washed in chlorine. Yummy.

Corporations have long been aware of such differences between European and American consumers. Would a treaty of these proportions significantly blurry such distinctions? For one thing, if GM crops reach European soil, there is no going back: once the crops are contaminated, it will take tens of years for them to recover, claims Percy Schmeiser, former spokesperson for independent farmers’ rights and a veteran in a legal struggle against Monsanto. If a transatlantic trade agreement is to be reached, it is the US that should tighten its regulations, not Europe weaken theirs. Quite frankly, I am a bit skeptical.

If there are three types of responses that advertising is going after – rational, combined, and emotional, which one should you embrace in order to make the most out of your ad campaign? The folks at John St, a Canadian advertising agency based in Toronto, feel pretty strongly about the last one. In fact, they claim that their approach does not make brands simply noticeable, but “unignorable” … for better or for worse.

If there are three types of responses that advertising is going after – rational, combined, and emotional, which one should you embrace in order to make the most out of your ad campaign? The folks at John St, a Canadian advertising agency based in Toronto, feel pretty strongly about the last one. In fact, they claim that their approach does not make brands simply noticeable, but “unignorable” … for better or for worse.

It turns out our entourage is tougher than we thought: not only did our Launch Bootcamp not scare anyone off, but it actually got people lining up to get on it. So for our next event we might decide to go with a triathlon.

For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about, here’s a quick rundown.

Over the years we have discovered that the “Launch Agency” means different things to different people. For example, think of what would your guess be if you knew nothing about PR; are we launching rockets, products, what are we doing, really? Inspired by this somewhat floating ambiguity, we came up with the idea of a Launch Bootcamp. Our core goal was to guide our audience and demonstrate some of the key elements in our launch approach in an engaging and interactive manner, leaving out the boring, endless sea of technicalities, which inevitably surrounds it.

Next on the list was to create a fictional product by a fictional company, which could then be launched with the help of our guests during our birthday party. Drawing from our personal experiences, we collectively agreed upon the creation of “The Freezer” – a portable pause button, which could be used to “freeze” any situation. Sure the feasibility of our product may be slightly questionable, yet that certainly does not apply to its campaign: prototype, press release, even a promotional video, which you can see below – everything was there. All we needed now were the insights of our guests.

The Launch Bootcamp was split into 4 groups, each consisting of 6 participants coming from a variety of different backgrounds. To allow for better concentration, the “exercise” took place behind closed doors in a specially designated area, which some witnesses described as an actual training site. The trainees were then left in the hands of our bootcamp coach Rafi, who as far as I know, isn’t very keen on the idea of cutting people slack. They were asked 4 questions and allocated a minute to answer each, with the occasional jumping jacks in between to offset the wine and delicious food.

A real coach in real action // public link

The questions were pertaining to the product’s market entry and had to do with creating a slogan for it, thinking of the best situation it could be applied in and even coming up with the perfect testimonial for it. The insights of the brave participants were written down on cards and brought to a live illustrator in one of the other rooms, who throughout the night materialized their words into images. By the end of the party it became one large piece of art, uniting the ideas and insights of all, once more underlining the key importance of inducing creativity and bringing different visions together in our work.

For more photos from our event, be sure to check our flickr page here.

Collective effort + creativity = work of art // public link

It turns out our entourage is tougher than we thought: not only did our Launch Bootcamp not scare anyone off, but it actually got people lining up to get on it. So for our next event we might decide to go with a triathlon.

For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about, here’s a quick rundown.

Over the years we have discovered that the “Launch Agency” means different things to different people. For example, think of what would your guess be if you knew nothing about PR; are we launching rockets, products, what are we doing, really? Inspired by this somewhat floating ambiguity, we came up with the idea of a Launch Bootcamp. Our core goal was to guide our audience and demonstrate some of the key elements in our launch approach in an engaging and interactive manner, leaving out the boring, endless sea of technicalities, which inevitably surrounds it.

Next on the list was to create a fictional product by a fictional company, which could then be launched with the help of our guests during our birthday party. Drawing from our personal experiences, we collectively agreed upon the creation of “The Freezer” – a portable pause button, which could be used to “freeze” any situation. Sure the feasibility of our product may be slightly questionable, yet that certainly does not apply to its campaign: prototype, press release, even a promotional video, which you can see below – everything was there. All we needed now were the insights of our guests.

The Launch Bootcamp was split into 4 groups, each consisting of 6 participants coming from a variety of different backgrounds. To allow for better concentration, the “exercise” took place behind closed doors in a specially designated area, which some witnesses described as an actual training site. The trainees were then left in the hands of our bootcamp coach Rafi, who as far as I know, isn’t very keen on the idea of cutting people slack. They were asked 4 questions and allocated a minute to answer each, with the occasional jumping jacks in between to offset the wine and delicious food.

A real coach in real action // public link

The questions were pertaining to the product’s market entry and had to do with creating a slogan for it, thinking of the best situation it could be applied in and even coming up with the perfect testimonial for it. The insights of the brave participants were written down on cards and brought to a live illustrator in one of the other rooms, who throughout the night materialized their words into images. By the end of the party it became one large piece of art, uniting the ideas and insights of all, once more underlining the key importance of inducing creativity and bringing different visions together in our work.

For more photos from our event, be sure to check our flickr page here.

Today, on the 1st of the 11th month, we’ll be 11 years old. It feels as if it was yesterday when we made the most important launch of all – launching public link. And yet, 11 years have gone by… After all this time, what else can we wish for our clients and ourselves, other than: may all of your launches be as successful as ours. While on the subject of launching, and definitely not because we feel we’re getting old and out of shape, this year we’ve decided to have a boot camp. A launch boot camp. For the past few weeks we have been struggling to resist to the temptation of revealing a fantastic product our team came across. Finally, this Friday it will at last be launched during our event, and not without our guests’ help. Sounds exciting? You bet it is! To be honest, it has been a pretty vibrant time lately, here at public link. We can’t say we get bored all too often (read – never). Let me give you an example. For those of you who may not know, our office is located in the same building on Albrechtstraße 14, wherethree sequences of the award-wining movie Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt) were once filmed. And while some call it a coincidence, others might look for something more behind this seemingly incidental (or not) encounter of our dynamic agency and Lola’s restless and energetic character. Either way, last week cameras were once again back on Albrechtstraße, except, this time occupying our conference room.

Celebrating 11 years // publiclink

I dared to take a sneak peek: a table covered in reports and datasheets, papers and magazines all over the place, odd charts and graphs in the background, and in the middle of it all – a bunch of people in what appears to be a heated debate… or a brawl, really, depending on how you look at it. What have we got up our sleeves this time? With our birthday party hours away and the usual, constant flow of projects, ideas and events, there are just too many unknowns for you to start guessing. But don’t worry: the good people from public link got you covered. Stick around and it’ll all be on our blog very soon!Today, on the 1st of the 11th month, we’ll be 11 years old. It feels as if it was yesterday when we made the most important launch of all – launching public link. And yet, 11 years have gone by… After all this time, what else can we wish for our clients and ourselves, other than: may all of your launches be as successful as ours. While on the subject of launching, and definitely not because we feel we’re getting old and out of shape, this year we’ve decided to have a boot camp. A launch boot camp. For the past few weeks we have been struggling to resist to the temptation of revealing a fantastic product our team came across. Finally, this Friday it will at last be launched during our event, and not without our guests’ help. Sounds exciting? You bet it is! To be honest, it has been a pretty vibrant time lately, here at public link. We can’t say we get bored all too often (read – never). Let me give you an example. For those of you who may not know, our office is located in the same building on Albrechtstraße 14, wherethree sequences of the award-wining movie Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt) were once filmed. And while some call it a coincidence, others might look for something more behind this seemingly incidental (or not) encounter of our dynamic agency and Lola’s restless and energetic character. Either way, last week cameras were once again back on Albrechtstraße, except, this time occupying our conference room.

Celebrating 11 years // publiclink

I dared to take a sneak peek: a table covered in reports and datasheets, papers and magazines all over the place, odd charts and graphs in the background, and in the middle of it all – a bunch of people in what appears to be a heated debate… or a brawl, really, depending on how you look at it. What have we got up our sleeves this time? With our birthday party hours away and the usual, constant flow of projects, ideas and events, there are just too many unknowns for you to start guessing. But don’t worry: the good people from public link got you covered. Stick around and it’ll all be on our blog very soon!